In order to prepare students for living and working in the 21st century, educators must use innovative practices to teach critical thinking skills, problem solving, collaboration, communication, and information and media literacy (Moreillon). Collaboration between the librarian and the teacher can help to create many effective and differentiated teaching strategies and engaging lessons to address these needs.Along with the students, administrators, the teacher, and librarian gain many benefits from the partnership of the two educators. In almost every situation in life, the saying of "two heads are better than one" is considered true, so why not utilize this situation in the school envirornment with teachers and librarians? The collaboration of the the teacher and teacher-librarain is a win-win situation for all. A school’s main purpose for existing is to create independent educated thinkers. Many people in the school system, including some librarians, tend to think the job to educate the students solely rests on the classroom teachers. However, this assumption is far from the truth. It is crucial that all stakeholders realize everyone in the school contributes to the success or failure of the students’ education. We are doing a major disservice to the students of a school if we are not utilizing all educators on campus to fully reach their learning potential. A solution to assist in achieving success in our students is through collaborative planning and coteaching between the classroom teacher and the teacher librarian. This collaboration not only benefits students but all stakeholders in the learning community.
Students are the stakeholders that benefit the most from teacher and librarian collaboration. Minority students especially benefit from a team-up approach due to the fact that student to teacher ratio reduces (Moreillon 7). A smaller educator-to-student ratio has several benefits for the student. Students receive more individualized attention when a teacher and librarian co-teach (Kindergarten Teacher). This individualized attention helps to create more independent learners that seek to find answers to questions on their own (Judy,Third Grade Teacher) . Tracy (Elementary Art Instructor) states in an interview about how collaboration on an art lesson with her teacher librarian helped the students to create connections of art with a lesson on Navajo Culture. The benefits students gain from teachers and librarians collaborating far exceed increased test scores. In Sherri's video interview she points out how the students become more informed of ethical use of information from the librarian instruction (English Teacher). Students also become better at evaulating their own work when collaboration takes place on the campus (Principal Godfrey). When librarians have the opportunity to teach with the classroom teacher they have the platform to introduce kids to tools the teacher might not otherwise be able to implement due to time restraints. By incorporating both the lesson and new tools, this creates time for students to learn Web 2.0 Tools, research skills, presenting, creating works cited, and many more (Seventh Grade English Teacher). In actuality, there seems to be a lack of negative aspects where the students are concerned.
Teachers benefit from collaborating with the librarian. Teachers have the daunting task of preparing students to become information and media literate and attain critical thinking skills in order to prepare them to live in a fast-paced global society. Collaborations with the librarian have been shown to directly impact student achievement and have benefited teachers in various ways. In particular, librarians help teachers to make connections with the curriculum objectives (Kimmel). “They serve as a bridge to help teachers make the connections between inquiry-based learning and information-literacy skills throughout the curriculum" (qtd. in Zamuda, Allison, and Harada). In a video testimonial, Sherri (High School English Teacher) shared how the librarian shared her expertise on research skills, citing information, and using technology to create a digital storytelling project. Teachers gain ideas and resources from librarians and this can lead to more productive planning. An example of this is Kelly's video testimonial where she states that the librarian assisted teachers with ideas to create guidelines and rubrics for a lesson (High School Student Teacher). Collaboration and coteaching enables the teacher to have more opportunities to work with individual students as the ratio of students to teacher is lowered. It also fosters communication about common goals which is important for developing social networks in a collaborative learning community. Lastly, teachers as well as librarians can create learning opportunities for themselves and for each other as they share their ideas and knowledge of their craft (Moreillon).
Administrators benefit from collaborations involving the librarian with educators and administration. In this age of accountability on standardized tests, administrators are pressured to increase student achievement on the state test. Administrators are looking for innovative best practices in education that will increase student achievement on standardized tests and better prepare students to become 21st century learners. A strong library program lead by a skilled librarian can promote best practices in a school which benefits administrators and all stakeholders. Studies have shown that a strong library program that includes collaboration between librarians and teachers can positively impact student academic achievement on standardized tests and increase their learning (Lance, Rodney, and Schwartz). Administrators can set the stage to encourage teachers to collaborate with the librarian by “making it known that they expect it to be the norm” (Lance, Rodney, and Schwartz). Another benefit for administrators is having an opportunity to collaborate with someone in the school who shares the same global perspective of academics. Because of this, librarians are in the unique position to help administrators in planning about curriculum needs in all areas of the school. Then the librarian is better able to address these curriculum needs when she or he collaborates with teachers throughout the school. An example of this is a video testimonial from Diana, an Art teacher, shared how the librarian helped teachers with writing across the curriculum. This collaboration from the librarian greatly assists the administrator in creating more channels of communication with the staff on curriculum needs. An example of this is shared by Paula Godfrey, a school principal, who stated that "There is no one else who impacts the academic achievement of every child in the building. There is no one else besides the principal who has that global perspective of the building other than the teacher librarian." Another benefit a librarian can provide to administration is providing in-service opportunities to teachers on technology, media literacy, and research skills. This aligns with the principal’s goals for ongoing staff development to help teachers in increasing student achievement.
The teacher librarian is another stakeholder that benefits greatly from the collaboration of teachers and librarians when educating students in a school. With increasing budget cuts, it is crucial to the life of the library to prove his or her worth to the school. Judity Moreillon states in a powerpoint, "Producing and sharing results in terms of student acheivement is the best way to advocate for your school library program and school library contribution as a vital member of teaching faculty." Teaching alongside with a classroom teacher is a "way to prove his/her value in the learning experience" (McGregor 199). Proving our worth is an avenue for librarians create job security in the school system. Communication is increased with librarian when collaboration takes place in the school community. The librarian is forced to create more of a relationship with students, teachers, and administration when proper collaboration takes place. Ash-Argyle, Ruth, and Shoham sum it up best when they say, "teacher librarian collaboration is a prominent trait of a successful librarian" (3). The more exposure we have to the students in the school, the more comfortable they will be when coming to the library. Creating connections in this format faciliates a more learning opportunities when students are with the librarian. Overall, teacher and librarian collaboration helps the librarian gain a global perspective of academic achievement of the entire school (Principal Paula).
Collaboration between the teacher and the librarian has demonstrated to be a very powerful tool for advancing student learning and achievement and has proven to be very beneficial for all stakeholders in the learning community. However, teachers and librarians must be able to overcome obstacles such as inflexible schedules, time limitations, and overcoming an isolationist culture where teachers and administrators are resistant to try something new or unfamiliar. According to Small, "collaborations cannot be fully realized without creating a collaborative culture in which all partners see the importance and understand the benefits of collaboration to themselves, each other and their students" (qtd. in Schultz-Jones 22). It is our job as a teacher librarian to ensure the entire campus and district realizes the benefits of the teacher and librarian collaboration. Ensuring this realization might require some of us to step outside our comfort zone and seek out those teachers that are willing to take the plunge with us. Communication and positive relationships with administration is crucial in forming the basis to a successful librarian-teacher collaboration (Ash-Argyle, 4). We believe that the best way librarians can face these obstacles is by developing social networks, aligning with teachers who are receptive to collaborative partnerships, and sharing with all stakeholders the positive outcomes for students from these collaborative efforts. We also need to take the initiative and put ourselves out there in the school enviroment and not just stay in the confines of the library. It is imperative that we take on leadership roles in the school community to help create those relationships that are needed to create a pathway for collaboration. Once administrators, teachers, and community members begin to perceive the role of the librarian as equal partners with teachers in educating students and see the benefits to student achievement, then a culture of collaboration can develop. Finally, we believe it is the responsibility of the librarian to affect change in the school culture towards that of a collaborative learning community. In order to do this, librarians must prepare themselves to become key players in the academic program of their school by attaining the skills and knowledge necessary to be an equal partner with teachers in helping student academic success. Working toward this goal will assure future job security for school librarians and greatly benefit all stakeholders.
In order to prepare students for living and working in the 21st century, educators must use innovative practices to teach critical thinking skills, problem solving, collaboration, communication, and information and media literacy (Moreillon). Collaboration between the librarian and the teacher can help to create many effective and differentiated teaching strategies and engaging lessons to address these needs. Along with the students, administrators, the teacher, and librarian gain many benefits from the partnership of the two educators. In almost every situation in life, the saying of "two heads are better than one" is considered true, so why not utilize this situation in the school envirornment with teachers and librarians? The collaboration of the the teacher and teacher-librarain is a win-win situation for all. A school’s main purpose for existing is to create independent educated thinkers. Many people in the school system, including some librarians, tend to think the job to educate the students solely rests on the classroom teachers. However, this assumption is far from the truth. It is crucial that all stakeholders realize everyone in the school contributes to the success or failure of the students’ education. We are doing a major disservice to the students of a school if we are not utilizing all educators on campus to fully reach their learning potential. A solution to assist in achieving success in our students is through collaborative planning and coteaching between the classroom teacher and the teacher librarian. This collaboration not only benefits students but all stakeholders in the learning community.
Students are the stakeholders that benefit the most from teacher and librarian collaboration. Minority students especially benefit from a team-up
approach due to the fact that student to teacher ratio reduces (Moreillon 7). A smaller educator-to-student ratio has several benefits for the student. Students receive more individualized attention when a teacher and librarian co-teach (Kindergarten Teacher). This individualized attention helps to create more independent learners that seek to find answers to questions on their own (Judy,Third Grade Teacher) . Tracy (Elementary Art Instructor) states in an interview about how collaboration on an art lesson with her teacher librarian helped the students to create connections of art with a lesson on Navajo Culture.
The benefits students gain from teachers and librarians collaborating far exceed increased test scores. In Sherri's video interview she points out how the students become more informed of ethical use of information from the librarian instruction (English Teacher). Students also become better at evaulating their own work when collaboration takes place on the campus (Principal Godfrey). When librarians have the opportunity to teach with the classroom teacher they have the platform to introduce kids to tools the teacher might not otherwise be able to implement due to time restraints. By incorporating both the lesson and new tools, this creates time for students to learn Web 2.0 Tools, research skills, presenting, creating works cited, and many more (Seventh Grade English Teacher). In actuality, there seems to be a lack of negative aspects where the students are concerned.
Teachers benefit from collaborating with the librarian. Teachers have the daunting task of preparing students to become information and media literate and attain critical thinking skills in order to prepare them to live in a fast-paced global society. Collaborations with the librarian have been shown to directly impact student achievement and have benefited teachers in various ways. In particular, librarians help teachers to make connections with the curriculum objectives (Kimmel). “They serve as a bridge to help teachers make the connections between inquiry-based learning and information-literacy skills throughout the curriculum" (qtd. in Zamuda, Allison, and Harada). In a video testimonial, Sherri (High School English Teacher) shared how the librarian shared her expertise on research skills, citing information, and using technology to create a digital storytelling project. Teachers gain ideas and resources from librarians and this can lead to more productive planning. An example of this is Kelly's video testimonial where she states that the librarian assisted teachers with ideas to create guidelines and rubrics for a lesson (High School Student Teacher). Collaboration and coteaching enables the teacher to have more opportunities to work with individual students as the ratio of students to teacher is lowered. It also fosters communication about common goals which is important for developing social networks in a collaborative learning community. Lastly, teachers as well as librarians can create learning opportunities for themselves and for each other as they share their ideas and knowledge of their craft (Moreillon).
Administrators benefit from collaborations involving the librarian with educators and administration. In this age of accountability on standardized tests, administrators are pressured to increase student achievement on the state test. Administrators are looking for innovative best practices in education that will increase student achievement on standardized tests and better prepare students to become 21st century learners. A strong library program lead by a skilled librarian can promote best practices in a school which benefits administrators and all stakeholders. Studies have shown that a strong library program that includes collaboration between librarians and teachers can positively impact student academic achievement on standardized tests and increase their learning (Lance, Rodney, and Schwartz). Administrators can set the stage to encourage teachers to collaborate with the librarian by “making it known that they expect it to be the norm” (Lance, Rodney, and Schwartz). Another benefit for administrators is having an opportunity to collaborate with someone in the school who shares the same global perspective of academics. Because of this, librarians are in the unique position to help administrators in planning about curriculum needs in all areas of the school. Then the librarian is better able to address these curriculum needs when she or he collaborates with teachers throughout the school. An example of this is a video testimonial from Diana, an Art teacher, shared how the librarian helped teachers with writing across the curriculum. This collaboration from the librarian greatly assists the administrator in creating more channels of communication with the staff on curriculum needs. An example of this is shared by Paula Godfrey, a school principal, who stated that "There is no one else who impacts the academic achievement of every child in the building. There is no one else besides the principal who has that global perspective of the building other than the teacher librarian." Another benefit a librarian can provide to administration is providing in-service opportunities to teachers on technology, media literacy, and research skills. This aligns with the principal’s goals for ongoing staff development to help teachers in increasing student achievement.
The teacher librarian is another stakeholder that benefits greatly from the collaboration of teachers and librarians when educating students in a school. With increasing budget cuts, it is crucial to the life of the library to prove his or her worth to the school. Judity Moreillon states in a powerpoint, "Producing and sharing results in terms of student acheivement is the best way to advocate for your school library program and school library contribution as a vital member of teaching faculty." Teaching alongside with a classroom teacher is a "way to prove his/her value in the learning experience" (McGregor 199). Proving our worth is an avenue for librarians create job security in the school system. Communication is increased with librarian when collaboration takes place in the school community. The librarian is forced to create more of a relationship with students, teachers, and administration when proper collaboration takes place. Ash-Argyle, Ruth, and Shoham sum it up best when they say, "teacher librarian collaboration is a prominent trait of a successful librarian" (3). The more exposure we have to the students in the school, the more comfortable they will be when coming to the library. Creating connections in this format faciliates a more learning opportunities when students are with the librarian. Overall, teacher and librarian collaboration helps the librarian gain a global perspective of academic achievement of the entire school (Principal Paula).
Collaboration between the teacher and the librarian has demonstrated to be a very powerful tool for advancing student learning and achievement and has proven to be very beneficial for all stakeholders in the learning community. However, teachers and librarians must be able to overcome obstacles such as inflexible schedules, time limitations, and overcoming an isolationist culture where teachers and administrators are resistant to try something new or unfamiliar. According to Small, "collaborations cannot be fully realized without creating a collaborative culture in which all partners see the importance and understand the benefits of collaboration to themselves, each other and their students" (qtd. in Schultz-Jones 22). It is our job as a teacher librarian to ensure the entire campus and district realizes the benefits of the teacher and librarian collaboration. Ensuring this realization might require some of us to step outside our comfort zone and seek out those teachers that are willing to take the plunge with us. Communication and positive relationships with administration is crucial in forming the basis to a successful librarian-teacher collaboration (Ash-Argyle, 4). We believe that the best way librarians can face these obstacles is by developing social networks, aligning with teachers who are receptive to collaborative partnerships, and sharing with all stakeholders the positive outcomes for students from these collaborative efforts. We also need to take the initiative and put ourselves out there in the school enviroment and not just stay in the confines of the library. It is imperative that we take on leadership roles in the school community to help create those relationships that are needed to create a pathway for collaboration. Once administrators, teachers, and community members begin to perceive the role of the librarian as equal partners with teachers in educating students and see the benefits to student achievement, then a culture of collaboration can develop. Finally, we believe it is the responsibility of the librarian to affect change in the school culture towards that of a collaborative learning community. In order to do this, librarians must prepare themselves to become key players in the academic program of their school by attaining the skills and knowledge necessary to be an equal partner with teachers in helping student academic success. Working toward this goal will assure future job security for school librarians and greatly benefit all stakeholders.